What Life Was Like the Last Time Northwestern Hoops Appeared in the AP Poll

The last time NU men's hoops was ranked by the Associated Press...

Richard M. Nixon had just been elected president of the United States of America.

The Jets had just won Super Bowl III.

Ohio State actually had recently beaten USC in the Rose Bowl.

Yale University had recently announced that they were going to admit women.

Elvis and The Beatles were popular throughout America (now instead, we get Lady Gaga, but I digress).

Color television was the next big thing.

Women's basketball didn't exist.

Bill Carmody was in high school.

Joe Paterno was the head football coach at Penn State (some things never change).

My mom was a freshman at Northwestern but didn't know the team was ranked because very few people on campus cared (see above).

Yes, it's been awhile (Jan. 14, 1969 to be exact) since the Northwestern men's basketball team found themselves in the AP poll. In fact, back then it wasn't a top 25 poll, it was a top 20 poll!

They will be headed to Champaign to take on the unranked Illinois Fighting Illini on Wednesday. The question of course is how will the Wildcats avoid a letdown as the overwhelming favorites in this Big Ten opener?

I'm kidding, but this seriously boggles the mind. Northwestern is ranked, Illinois is not.

Yes, the same Northwestern program that two years ago won exactly one Big Ten game and has never made the NCAA Tournament.

Yes, the same Illinois program that's made the NCAA tournament nine out of the last 10 years.

And oh, by the way, did I mention NU lost their two top scorers from last year's NIT team to injury and graduation?

We've broken down how they've done it this year elsewhere on the site, so there's no need for that here.

Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride (and be thankful Oliver! won't be winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards).